Air-conditioned oxygen-box



1957 o. R. BATSON ET AL 2,776,657

AIR-CONDITIONED OXYGEN-BOX Filed July 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS: OSCAR RANDOLPH BATSON BAILEYBI-E, MOORE q, AMOS u. cumsne n- 1957 o. R. BATSON ET AL AIR-CONDITIONED oxycmwsox Filed July 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N1 'ENTORS OSCAR RANDOLPH BATSON m w w. p m m H T A 00. m f M A W fi m Er a U A b United States Patent 2,776,657 AIR-CONDITIONED OXYGEN-BOX Oscar Randolph Batson,;Bailey F. Moore, and AmosU. Christie, Nashville, Tenn.

Application July 28, 1952, SerialNo. 301,344

12 Claims. (Cl; 128-4) This invention relates to an air-conditioned oxygenbox. More particularly it relates to a small open-top air-conditioned ,oxygen box which is easily adaptable to babies,- children or adults.

Oxygen tents or enclosure of the prior arthave been generally: unsatisfactory. Physicians and nurses have found them cumbersome and unreliable for maintaining therapeutic oxygen concentrations. Patients have [found them treatment-wise ineffective, and psychologically oppressive in interfering withvisibility and in producing a closed-in feeling.

It is -the purpose of this invention to produce an oxygen box that is-open'above the patients head, is transparent at the sides and front, includes refrigerating means for, cooling the air, maintains desired oxygen concentration with low oxygen consumption, effectively humidifies the air by simply introducing the oxygen thru a nebulizer,

is inexpensive in initial cost and in upkeep, is compact and easy to handle and set up, and is quickly and easily adaptable to patients of all sizes. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following detailed description proceeds.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above and behind an oxygen box according to this invention.

'Fig. 2 is a plan view of the oxygen box.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the right side of the device.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation.

Fig. 5 is a partial side elevational view in section taken on the line 5-'5 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed elevation of the nebulizerhumidifier.

Fig. 7 is :an enlarged detailed elevation in section on the line 77 of Fig. 4.

With reference now to the drawings, the numerals 1-4 respectively designate the trout, the rear and the left and right side panels of the box. These panels 1-4 are preferably formed of rigid sheets of colorless transparent plastic material, aitho glass panels could be used, if desired. The panels may be joined at their corners Iby cementing or thermoplastic welding with or without added reinforcing (such as corner posts '5). It is preterred that a bottom panel 7 of the same plastic material, or of plywood, etc, be used for its ri-gidifying effect on the vertical walls 1-4 of the box.

Approximately a fourth of the volume of the box is partitioned oil irom the remainder thereof by a partition 9, preferably iorm-ed of stainless steel or aluminum. Partition 9 may be hastened to the side panels 3 and 4 by screws 1=1 passing thru holes in the forwardly bent integral flanges 9'. Partition 9 may constitute the front face of an ice-receptacle 13, or alternatively, ice-receptacle 13 could be made separate from partition 9 and be (removably) mounted thereon. The former construction produces a good heat-exchange relationship between the ice-receptacle and the treatment chamber. The ice-11eto the atomizer 47-. -An adjustment screw 49 controls- 2,776,657 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 2 ceptacle '15 has a centrally dished bottom and a drain pipe I-Sdischarging to the outside the rear wall '2. it may have a separate cover 14, or it may extend upwamdly so as tohave its upper edge llush with the top of the box proper, so that the forwardly hinged cover" 15, including handle '17, for the partitioned-oil space, can also serve as a cover for the ice-receptacle 13. A drippan (not shown) may be placed beneath the ice-receptacle 13 to catch condensed moisture,

and by the partition 9 is the combined oxygen and humidity-supplying apparatus, generally designated 21. Ap-

paratus 21 comprises a support plate 23 rernovably hung is supported from plate 2 3 by one or more brackets '35 connected to plate 23 and to the screw-top 67 of the nebu-lizer. The float chamber of the nebulizer '31 is aglass jar 39-screwed up'into the top 37. Water is main, tained at the desired level by a conventional valve 41 controlled by the float 43. By the use of a filter (or [pure-water ice) it would be possible to use the water from the melted ice as the water supply tor the nebulizer, when water is the sole liquid being atomized.

Oxygen is supplied to the nebulizer by a hos-e 45 (which may, ifdesired, have a wall-mounted safety coupler 46 between its external and internal sections). Hose 45 connects totube 45' (-Fig. 6) which conducts the oxygen the supply of water sucked thru pipe 51 by the force of the oxygen stream, to issue thru jet 53 as an oxygen-borne mist for discharge thru pipe 55 into the oxygen box. Supply hose 45 connects to the usual oxygen-flow controlvalve mounted on the oxygen tank (both not shown).

The already heavier-than-air oxygen is made still more heavy by being (-evaporatively) mist-cooled as it issues from the nebulizer. It therefore tends to settle to the bottom of the treatment chamber, where it is needed, while the warm exhaled lair tends to be blown, and naturally to rise, to the top of the box for discharge into the room. Thus the many advantages of an open-topped box may be obtained at a very small cost in terms of loss of oxygen. It has been found that an oxygen concentration of 72% (volumetric) can be maintained 4 inches 'from the bottom with an oxygen consumption of only 5 liters per minute. Three inches below the top the concentration will be about 67%, and at the top, 37%.

The tront panel 1 of the box is provided with a semicircular opening .of a size to accommodate the waist or chest of a child. Babies may be placed lengthwise of and completely within the treatment chamber. With adults, usually the head only is inserted thru the opening. The opening in panel 11 is bounded by a flanged rim 61 (Fig. 7) which securely holds an arch-shaped angle-strip or sleeveeshap-ed curtain 63 of plastic, oiled silk, or other air-tight sheeting, by means of a spring 65 (or other draw-string type of means) inserted in or over the edge of said curtain 63. Curtain 63 may additionally have at its far end an elastic band or draw string (not shown) to improve its body-embracing action and thus eliminate loss of oxygen.

While We have disclosed a preferred embodiment of our invention, by way of illustration, it is to be understood that many changes can be made in the size, shape, arrangement and composition of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the su joined claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Beside the ice-receptacle 1'3 and also supported from 1. An open-top oxygen box comprising: rigid front, rear and side wall panels, said front and side wall panels being formed substantially entirely of transparent plastic material, the lower central portion of said front wall panel being cut away to form abody-receiving opening; a flexible curtain closing said opening and being adapted to surround the neck or waist of a patient having his head or chest in said box; means housed entirely within said box for cooling the air in said box; and nebulizer means attached to and carried by said box for simultaneously supplying the atmosphere in said box with a treatment gas and a liquid mist.

2. A device according to claim 1 and additionally comprising a bottom panel for firmly holding the other panels in assembled positions.

3. A device according to claim 1 and in which said flexible curtain is formed of a clear transparent plastic to minimize the psychological effect of being closed-in.

4. A device according to claim 1 and .in which said curtain is in the form of a sleeve and includes a flexible draw-means for quickly removably attaching it to said front panel.

5. A device according to claim 4 and additionally including an arch-shaped angle-strip spanning the lower portion of said front panel and attached to the front face thereof, said panel having an opening therein conforming to the area encompassed by said angle-strip, said anglestrip and said panel together defining a channel for the draw-means of said sleeve.

6. A device according to claim 5 and in which said draw-means is a coil spring.

7. A device according to claim 1 and in which said means for cooling is a receptacle for ice.

8. A device according to claim 7 and additionally comprising a partition partially separating said box into a relatively large front compartment and a relatively small narrow rear compartment, said rear compartment housing said ice receptacle.

9. A device according to claim 1 and in which said nebulizer means includes .a liquid reservoir, a liquid supply conduit and a float-operated valve in said reservoir and valving said conduit for maintaining desired liquid level in said reservoir.

10. A device according to claim 9 and additionally comprising a supply reservoir above and connected to said valve by a conduit, said nebulizer means and said supply reservoir being mounted on a vertical panel adapted for quick-detachable mounting on an inner sur- 'face of said box.

11. A device according to claim 10 and in which said surface is the rear surface of a partition :across the rear portion of said box, said partition defining a space for receiving said ndhulizer and a box for holding spacecooling ice or the like.

12. A device according to claim 1 and in which said nebulizer means is adapted to discharge its gas and mis-t near the bottom of said box and remote from said curtain, whereby highest concentrations of medicaments are produced near the bottom of said box and loss thereof 'thru said curtain is minimized.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,900,342 Hess Mar. 7, 1933' 2,624,337 Gibbon I an. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,531 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1939 

